Ailani Roach, FCLC 2028

Major: Integrative Neuroscience

Bio: Ailani Roach is a sophomore in the Honors program at Fordham University, majoring in Integrative Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish. As a pre-med student, she presides as publicist for FCLC's EMS club and is also a frequent volunteer with Spanish-speaking and migrant communities. Beyond the classroom, Ailani sings as resident soprano in FCLC’s competitive a cappella group, The F Sharps. She loves photography and capturing core memories with friends, family, and especially her chow chow, Buffy.

Title of Research: Who Detects the Invaders? Factors Influencing Public Recognition of Urban Invasive Species

Mentor: Ellen van Wilgenburg, Natural Sciences

Abstract: Urban ecosystems face mounting threats from invasive species that endanger native biodiversity, ecosystem function. Effective management relies on both scientific expertise and public involvement; however, the ability of non-experts to identify species and particularly recognize invasives is still not well understood. Our study used a survey to evaluate New York City residents' ability to identify local species based on images and correctly distinguish whether they were native or invasive, alongside collecting data on demographics and environmental attitude. We found that survey respondents (N = 412) demonstrated moderate overall species identification ability (mean score of 8.54 out of 13) but performed better in classifying species as native or invasive (mean score of 10.65 out of 13). Key predictors for higher species identification ability included increasing age and iNaturalist familiarity; specifically, participants who had used the platform scored markedly higher on both general and detailed identification scores than those who had not heard of it. While participants most frequently cited the Internet/social media (37.1%) as their primary learning method for learning local species, the type of learning source was not a statistically significant predictor for general species identification accuracy. Crucially, the strongest predictor for knowledge of invasive status species was the participant's general ability to name species. The results underscore the importance of promoting participation in citizen science and fostering local environmental engagement to strengthen species identification skills for effective invasive species management.